Seven
by BlueDecembers19
Summary: As the Greek and Roman demigods converge in Camp Jupiter and the seven heroes of the prophecy meet to begin on their quest; sparks fly, friendship blooms, jealousy springs and long-kept secrets are discovered.
1. Chapter I

**Seven**

**Summary: As the Greek and Roman demigods converge in Camp Jupiter and the seven heroes of the prophecy meet to begin on their quest; sparks fly, friendship blooms, jealousy springs and long-kept secrets are discovered. An evocative journey of growth and the empowering notion of love and fate. **

**By the way, this is set before the actual quest in _The Mark of Athena _and focuses more on relationships between the characters rather than adventure and such. That is not to say that there will not be any action; just less.**

**A/N: Okay, so this story is a request; based on Soccerlover5959's **_**Mark of Athena Ideas**_**. Go check it out if you'd like; I'm following the basic plot with some changes obviously. I think other authors may be writing some fics based on the same ideas but as far as I know, no one is writing the entire thing. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians **_**or **_**Heroes of Olympus**_** and in this case, I don't even own most of the plot… but I do own the writing which I guess is some consolation. **

* * *

**Chapter I **

**June 23rd**** – 1600 hours**

**Jason**

Jason had heard a lot about the legendary Percy Jackson. It was always; 'Percy did this' or 'oh Percy defeated that monster' or 'Percy is the most awesome thing ever to grace this planet with his presence.' Jason thought if this Percy guy ever heard what his friends had to say about him, his head would explode from the size of his inflated ego.

They were adding the finishing touches to the Argo II, two days ago when he'd gotten the last missing links of his memories back. Annabeth was charging around like a madwoman, fixing the tiniest details while her half-brother Malcolm followed her around, desperately trying to calm her down but she would not. All because of this Percy Jackson. Frankly, Jason was beginning to be annoyed at this guy. He just seemed too – too _perfect._ No one could possibly be that noble, heroic and flawless, he thought. It was just not possible.

Anyway, he'd finally remembered everything about his past life and the relief of simple, pure knowledge – knowledge of who he was, what he'd done washed over him causing him to lie down and breathe, in ecstasy. That is, until Leo stomped over to him and asked him what in Zeus' name he was doing. Jason had no choice but to get up and continue working on the ship as Leo was wielding a rather large blowtorch and he'd rather not be incinerated into a crisp before seeing his home again.

And also, people comparing him to Percy Jackson in centuries to come would say; behold, here lies the body of Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus, the guy who saved the world like a gazillion times; the epitome of awesomeness… and; here lie the ashes of Jason Grace; the guy who _was_ destined for great things _but_ was brutally killed by his best friend because he was too lazy to work. Not very appealing.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by Clarisse who was brandishing a very lethal looking spear. She grinned at him tauntingly, showcasing her crooked teeth. "Hey, Lightning Face! Come spar with me." She waved her spear at him, "this is Maimer 2.0. Stop being such a weakling and a coward. Stand and fight!"

Jason jumped to his feet and flipped his imperial gold sword, rolling his eyes. They stared each other down before Jason made the first move, feinting towards Clarisse's left side. He whipped back and lunged forward, swiping his sword parallel to the ground to her right. She parried with Maimer 2.0, twisting his sword up and jabbing to his stomach area. He dodged, dropped and rolled across the scratched wooden floor of the practice sparring pavilion.

Jason hooked his leg around Clarisse's to pull her down and she landed on the ground with an 'oomph.' He grinned at her triumphantly and brought his sword down with more ferociousness than usual. She moved just in time, sweeping across the ground to behind him and whacking him with the flat side of her spear, sending him sprawling across the ground and leaving him with a severe case of wood burn.

She pressed the tip at the base of his throat and smirked. "Dead. Bolt Head. Even Prissy was better at this than you. You know, I have no idea why Hera decided to swap Prissy with _you_."

A wave of fury and a desire to hurt; to maim coursed through his veins like adrenaline. He pushed himself up from the floor in one swift, fluid movement and spun, to press his sword on the side of her neck. "Never, speak to me in that way again," he spat and walked away.

Above them, thunder screamed and lightning spidered down to the earth. And then, it started to rain.

* * *

**June 24th ****(The Feast of Fortuna) – 0700 hours**

**Piper**

Piper had never thought of herself as an Aphrodite girl. She didn't care about make-up, the clothes she wore or the latest gossip. In fact, she avoided those things just to challenge the status-quo – and to annoy her siblings. She must've taken after her father more than her mother; her father had taught her to be an individual; to be non-conformist. Frankly, it gave her more than a little satisfaction to see the expressions on the faces of her fellow campers as she'd slaved furiously away at the construction of the Argo II. She didn't worry about chipping a nail or sweating out her make-up like her siblings.

But, if she was completely honest to herself; although she seldom was; the other reason of her extreme diligence had something to do with Jason. About a month ago, Piper had been working at fixing the sails of the giant warship – Annabeth was dangling precariously at the tip of the sails, furiously working at it (in fact Annabeth scared Piper sometimes – her dedication to her tasks were absolute and unwavering), when Jason had approached her. Her heart had done one of those pathetic little flutters as he ambled towards her position on the rails, his hands in his pockets and his blond hair spiking in tufts from the wind.

She had desperately reprimanded herself but it was futile. She smiled widely at him, trying to keep her legs from shaking as they dangled over the edge, tapping out erratic rhythms onto the wood to the beat of her heart. Jason had looked unusually nervous and slightly panicked. In retrospect, if Piper had known what was going to happen, she would've run away – or pushed him over the edge and pretended it was an accident rather than trying to comfort him. _Stupid, spineless, two-timing prick._ She thought with vehemence as she hammered the last nail in with all her force. _There, _she thought. _Now Jason is just a mashed up, deformed piece of metal and I can get over him. _

A prickly burst of static interrupted her musings. "Greetings passengers," Leo's hyperactive voice bared from the ship's speakers. "Welcome aboard the Argo II; the ultimate experience in luxury and war thing-o's. Wait, no let me rephrase that; _Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Cool, I've always wanted to say that."_ Piper could almost see the mischievous smile sketching over Leo's face at that moment.

"Emergency procedures will have to be based solely on improvisation as we didn't have time to devise those us 'cause the freaky blonde whirlwind demanded we be done A.S.A.P. so she can find her M.I.A. boyfriend."

"_Valdez!" _came Annabeth's angered yell.

"Okay, okay, blondie… Don't kill me!" his voice trembled and another pop of static followed. "Uh, prepare for take-off. Emergency bags are in the box in front of your seat so please utilise those if _unpleasant emergencies_ arise. Please don't vomit over the floor; arriving at the Roman camp smelling of puke is totally going to impress them."

Piper rolled her eyes and settled back into the plush blue seat. _Someday,_ she thought. _Someday, Jason was going to realise how wrong he was. _And with that happy thought, she leaned back and let sleep overwhelm her.

* * *

**June 24th**** – 1430 hours**

**Jason**

"Demigods and demigoddesses – is that a word? Anyways, this is your Supreme Commander here –"

"No it's not – it's repair boy!" Piper's melodious voice suffused the air. Something triggered inside Jason; Reyna or Piper – Piper or Reyna? He knew he had told Piper about Reyna and broken it off but what if it was a mistake? Maybe it wasn't the right decision, after all, he and Reyna hadn't even been properly 'together' – but Reyna had more power.

Jason stalked out of the cabin area and leaned over the side of the ship, feeling the exhilaration of wind whipping on his face, his purple praetor's cape billowing behind him. He had donned the cape as a reminder to those at Camp Jupiter where their loyalties really should lie – and to send a message of peace.

"Hey, little bro, be careful there, you might fall over the edge."

Jason spun around so rapidly that he lost his balance and ended up on his backside on the cold floor with his toga dancing wildly around his neck. He glared at the speaker from his graceful position on the ground. "Hey sis," he said finally with as much dignity as he could muster.

Thalia was practically rolling around the ground laughing. "Nice boxers little bro; little lightning bolts – where did you get them?" she smirked.

"_Thanks,"_ he replied, sarcasm lacing his voice. "Besides, I'm older than you."

Thalia scowled. "If I weren't a Huntress of Artemis…" she trailed off almost threateningly.

"Oh and also, don't worry about me, I won't fall over; I'm a son of Jupiter – I can fly," he replied, grinning smugly.

Thalia glowered. "No fair," she whined. "We have the same dad! Why can't I fly?" she growled. "Zeus is so sexist."

"Different aspects of each god; Greek and Roman have different attributes and so do their children," came a voice behind them, raised over the billowing gales.

Jason and Thalia spun around, this time both landing elegantly on their behinds. Annabeth smirked and leaned against a pole casually; crossing her arms and watching with barely concealed amusement at the siblings attempting to disentangle themselves from Jason's toga and Thalia's bow.

"Holy Hera Annabeth!" Thalia yelled. "Don't do that!"

Darkness suffused Annabeth's eyes and her expression became carefully blank. She spun on her heel and headed back inside the stuffy cabin until Thalia grabbed on to her arm. "Annabeth wait!" she yelled, following her into the cabin.

Jason sighed and gazed across the empty expanse of clouds drifting below them like a sea of cotton candy…

* * *

**June 24th**** – 1500 hours**

**Jason**

"Attention Greeks… and Jason… this is your awesome captain slash supreme commander slash ruler of the Argo II speaking. We will be landing in approximately five minutes so prepare for landing! Over and out!" The screeching noise pierced the air sharply and an announcement tune jingled. "Oh and by the way, I've always wanted to say that too."

Jason rolled his eyes at Leo's theatrics but all previous thoughts abandoned him as the clouds beneath them cleared. Arising from the mist was a hazy assortment of ancient-style stone structures, rolling, lush green hills and a rushing, bubbling azure river winding around in a circular shape. A mass of thimble sized people were gathered in the Field of Mars and other scattered sentries were placed in strategic points around the camp. Banners streaming in the breeze and a sea of waving grass were just below them now; the ship's landing imminent. Jason could almost hear Terminus the god/ statue shouting obscenities up at them and grinned at the prospect of returning. He'd even go through with listening to Leo sing if a safe return was guaranteed.

Camp Jupiter. Home at last.

And then, the war horn blared.

* * *

**I actually have no idea how long it would take for a warship to fly from Camp Half-Bloof to Camp Jupiter so I just made the times up. **

**I love Leo's craziness and randomness :) **

**Please review with suggestions/ comments/ questions or even criticisms. **

**Thanks,**

**Blue**


	2. Chapter II

**A/N: Thank you for all the comments, feedback, hits, everything. Thanks so much. Also, one reviewer pointed out that the Feast of Fortuna is actually on the 24****th**** of June not the 21****st****. Sorry about that; it has now been changed. I'll stop talking now, enjoy the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus**_** or most of the plot, sadly… **

* * *

**Chapter II**

**June 24****th**** (The Feast of Fortuna) – 1530 hours **

**Leo**

Leo had heard a lot about Percy Jackson; how he saved the world not once, not twice but five times, slayed countless monsters and held up the sky – the _freaking_ sky. After all that, Leo had made assumptions about this Percy Jackson.

He thought Percy would look like one of those stereotypical Greek heroes from the fables with the curly blond hair and laurel leaves.

He didn't.

He thought he would be kind of conceited about his power; like 'oh I'm Percy Jackson and I'm a big hero and I'm so awesome' – kind of like Jason but Leo would rather jump off the Argo II than tell Jason that.

Percy wasn't. He was actually down to earth (which maybe had a thing to do with being a son of Poseidon, Leo thought) and funny. He even got Leo's humor.

And finally, he thought he'd be one of those stereotypical superheroes with their blindingly white smiles and long flowing capes.

He wasn't – although he _was_ wearing a set of purple bed sheets tied at one shoulder which normally would've looked ridiculous (especially on Leo) but Percy had actually made it look, well, _cool._

As the Argo II descended from the sky, settling on the rippling grass of what Jason called the _Field of Mars_; Leo couldn't help but feel jittery and nervous. He just couldn't compare to Percy Jackson. Percy would always be remembered as the hero; the noble, selfless, loyal demigod whilst Leo (if he was even lucky enough to be remembered rather than being a pile of ash after death by spontaneous combustion) would probably be remembered as the freak with fire powers.

The flying ship landed with a jolt and an angry rumble, the horde of Romans did not look impressed as they stood straight and unwavering in perfect lines. Their unswerving gazes and deadly stiffness did not make Leo any more comfortable than he already was and found himself inexplicably homesick for the informality of Camp Half-Blood.

As the Greek campers along with Jason descended gravely, the Romans did not move, head held high, shoulders back, their mouths set grimly and their hardened eyes disciplined. Jason left first; almost running in his eagerness to return home – the wildness of the Greeks must've gotten to him; Romans never displayed so much emotion. Stopping suddenly, Jason stood tall, remembering himself, lifting his head with a deadly grace which had Leo gulping in supressed fear.

"Romans," he said; voice loud and clear, resonating with power.

A girl stepped forward. Her dark hair braided and her ebony eyes reflecting power. "Jason Grace," she stated, her slightly accented voice lilting in the breeze. "Former praetor of Camp Jupiter. Welcome back."

Jason's icy blue eyes darkened. "Former praetor?" he asked. Leo shrank back pathetically.

The girl turned to the guy next to her who looked vaguely uncomfortable and not at all like the Romans around them. He seemed to radiate and aura of wildness, instincts and unsuppressed unpredictable power. "Hey," he said simply.

The girl winced subtly. "Perseus Jackson," she introduced, "of the fifth cohort, son of Neptune and praetor of the twelfth legion."*

Percy nodded with an air of discomfort at having all his titles spoken. "Hey, you must be Jason Grace."

Jason strode up, crossing some sort of invisible line between the Romans and the Greeks until he was only a couple of feet away from Percy. "You," he seethed. "You took my titles, my friends, my life. What else did you take?" he spat.

Percy took a step back. "Look," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to; trust me, I don't _want_ any of this. Besides _you_ took _my_ life. I haven't seen my friends, my home, my _girlfriend_ for _eight_ months. How do you think I feel?"

"You really think you know how I'm feeling? You – you – you _Greek!_"

Percy sighed. "Look," he said, holding out his hands as a gesture of peace. "We got off the wrong foot. Let's start again." He held out his hand for Jason to shake but retracted it as he stared at him in barely veiled contempt. "Come on man, we're sort of cousins, I really don't want to start another family feud." _Backing down from a fight,_ Leo thought. _Very un-Roman._ Maybe he had more in common with this dude than he'd originally thought but there was no way Leo was ever admitting that. He'd rather delude himself into a portrayal of a fearless warrior.

"We are NOT related. So forgive me if I don't go all mushy on you." Jason stormed as the heavens boomed.

"Jason," said the dark-haired girl, stretching out a hand as if to placate him.

"Can it Reyna!" he shouted. Reyna drew herself to her full height, glaring through narrow slitted eyes. He stared down at her for a moment then stalked off.

Reyna tossed her braid behind her and regarded them with once again guarded, smouldering eyes. _Reyna, pretty name,_ Leo thought which resulted in him mentally slapping himself. A girl like that would probably pin and gut him without a second thought.

"I am Reyna, daughter of Bellona; praetor of the twelfth legion and senator of New Rome," she stated. "Welcome, Greeks, to Camp Jupiter; the new Rome."

* * *

**June 24****th**** – 1530 hours**

**Thalia **

Thalia would never ever admit (even if it meant turning back into a pine tree again) that she had missed Percy Jackson. Normally, the two of them would bicker, fight and insult each other but she knew that there was some underlying emotion in them both. She remembered that summer when she's turned into a human again and Percy had been a thin annoying thirteen year old where she'd tried to electrocute him whilst he attempted to dump the entire contents of a river on her. Electricity and water don't mix – everyone knows that but Thalia and Percy, well they did but neither of them would ever admit it.

Now, as their arrival was imminent, Thalia was torn between rushing down and giving him a very uncharacteristic hug or beating him up and electrocuting him for disappearing for _eight freaking months_ and leaving Annabeth to fend for herself. Not that Annabeth was incapable of functioning without him; that was a ridiculous notion as Annabeth was one of the most independent, fearless people Thalia had ever met but for leaving her anyway. The hidden pain in her eyes and the walls she put up in public only to break down later on privately hurt Thalia too.

She was the only one who ever saw Annabeth cry, two unlikely best friends. Perhaps it was the right decision to become a lieutenant of Artemis, to escape the pain and grief of love. She saw how Annabeth would freeze and plaster a fake smile on her face when someone mentioned Percy. _Okay, definitely going to pummel him to bits,_ she decided.

* * *

There he was. A splotch of purple and black, unruly hair grinning at them. She felt Annabeth stiffen beside her and grabbed onto her hand for moral support. Annabeth smiled at down her slightly, nervously from her _freaking_ 5' 11" height. At 5'9" Thalia was very tall but her best friend/ little sister was taller than her. She squeezed her hand reassuringly as they watched Jason storm.

She watched with horrified fascination as her brother Jason confronted Percy who still looked like the clueless, harebrained buffoon she'd know. Thalia sighed in relief; she didn't know what she'd do if he'd turned into an emotionless, disciplined machine like the Romans were. Like Jason was.

She watched as 'Reyna' introduced him as 'praetor', feeling an unusual surge of pride for her baby cousin. That is, until she'd realised that he was now older than her; immortality had its drawbacks. Now she'd have to put up with Percy mocking her for eternity.

Jason stormed off in a fit of rage as he had a tendency to do probably his father being the king of the Roman gods had something to do with it. Thalia saw her cue and stepped forward, smirking slightly.

"Kelp head," she said, cocking her head to one side.

"Pinecone face," he replied, mirroring her motion.

Without warning, she struck out at his chest knowing he wouldn't be really hurt as he bore the Curse of Achilles.

Which is why, she was utterly confused when he doubled over in pain and glared at her bemusedly. "Ow," he muttered. "What was that for?"

The Romans tensed, hands flying to their weapons. Percy gave them a strained smile. "Don't worry, it's just a friendly – ah… punch…" They obeyed without question.

Thalia raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"So… how are you?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Really? After eight months you're asking _me _that? Are you sure you don't want to talk to someone else?" she teased but he wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking over her shoulder at something some_one._ Instead, he breathed out one lingering word. A word filled with passion, pain, love, agony and unrestrained longing.

"Annabeth."

* * *

*Did I get his titles right?

* * *

**This is not my best work, I'm sorry. I had a mild case of writers block. It's also really short. However, next chapter will be the highly anticipated reunion of Annabeth and Percy! **

**Review!**

**Blue **


	3. Chapter III

**A/N: So, so, so sorry for the long wait! It's been like, what, three weeks? You probably all hate me now… And, sorry for this horrible, extremely short, utterly crappy, pathetic excuse for a chapter. Sorry :( **

**On a happier note, thanks so much to DandelionsAndDaydreams, for beta-ing this :) **

* * *

**Chapter III**

**June 24th– 1530 hours**

**Percy**

He stood there, unable to breathe, watching the speck of brown that was the Argo II slowly descend. He stood there unblinkingly, unable to focus on anything but the fact that he would see Annabeth soon. Annabeth – who he hadn't seen in eight months, who was the only one he remembered when he'd forgotten everything, who was the one that completed him, who was a part of him, who he thought he'd never see again. She was so close, yet so far away and he couldn't wait. She was the first memory that he had after waking up and not knowing anything. His other memories had slowly returned to him but his moments with her were the one's he'd treasured.

Tyson stood a little bit behind him, grinning and flashing him a thumbs-up every now and then. When he'd first arrived at Camp Jupiter– the day before– people didn't quite trust him– until they saw his fighting skills, that is. Ella the harpy perched next to him, quoting random passages from time to time.

Frank and Hazel stood on either side of him, Hazel pondering about the boy who looked like Sammy and her conflicting feelings for Frank as Frank stood there, confused by Hazel's reaction to the boy in the scroll message. They could feel Percy becoming more and more impatient, bouncing on his toes and messing up his hair every so often. Hazel put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. It seemed to work. She knew he was thinking about Annabeth and she couldn't wait to meet her. After all, he had talked about her a lot.

The Romans behind him stood stiffly, their polished armor glinting in the afternoon sun, and the red plumes of their helmets whistling in the slight wind. Their shoulders were set back, their heads held high and their eyes guarded– not trusting the Greeks any more than before. Even Reyna, standing beside Percy, wore a face of stone. Only her trembling hands disclosed any sense of nervousness from her. The tension in the air was palpable.

Percy sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair, moving in what seemed like the first time in hours. The stain in the sky, cloaked by wisps of clouds in the distance didn't look any larger. He sighed again and flashing back to all the times that he and Annabeth had shared, he closed his eyes and waited. And waited some more.

He remembered their first kiss, how he'd stood there, mouth agape, brain not functioning for the next five minutes; then the ones on his birthday and then the countless ones that followed. He remembered frolicking in the little meadow in the camp and taking moonlit strolls on the beach after curfew. He remembered the night she had stayed over and he had held her until they fell asleep, waking up together the next morning. Most of all, he remembered her. Her princess curls, her stormy gray, sparkling eyes laughing at him, and the way that she called him Seaweed Brain.

He thought with a slight smile on his face and didn't realize that the ship was landing until he heard a yell. His eyes jerked open and he almost tripped. There were a few sniggers in the crowd, but he didn't care; he was looking for her. First came down a blond-haired, blue-eyed, typical surfer lookalike guy who was probably a couple of inches shorter than him. He was wearing bed sheets— purple ones, the mark of a praetor— like Percy, except his jeans and tattered sneakers were visible beneath. The crowd cheered. He saw Reyna stiffen out of the corner of his eye.

"Land ho! Ladies and gentlemen, behold!" A very excited dark-haired guy, grinning, hugely jumped down from the last few steps of the ladder. He had a Wii remote clutched tightly in his hands. "May I present, yours truly; Leo Valdez! Son of Hephaestus, or Vulcan and the supreme commander and builder of the Argo II."

A girl around sixteen descended gracefully down the steps. She had long, dark hair tied back in a braid with a feather plaited in and darker, exotic looking skin. She smiled nervously. "Hi, I'm Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, or Venus as you say here." She gave a nervous, tinkling little laugh. A wave of calm washed over Percy. He shook his head and wondered what was going on.

He stretched up, searching for a halo of blonde hair and dusky gray eyes. Where was she?

* * *

**June 24th– 1500 hours**

**Annabeth**

Annabeth slashed viciously at the golden bonds coiled tightly around her. She had managed to free one arm after hours of wriggling and manipulating, and now she sawed at the taut ropes. She could not hear the grinding of her celestial bronze dagger over the pounding of her fearless heart and the rushing blood roaring in her ears. She closed her eyes and concentrated. There! She was finally free and she stood up, feeling the blood circulating around her frozen limbs. She had to grit her teeth and suck in large gasps of air to prevent passing out from exhaustion.

She felt her way out of the chamber and into the tight corridors. The damp walls squelched beneath her fingers, which she trailed along, in the oppressive darkness. One thought resonated in her head; where was Percy? A dim, pulsing light filtered through the folds of darkness and Annabeth headed towards it warily. She reached out, gripping her glinting dagger tightly as she traversed forward.

A faint, eerie echo hummed softly. Reaching the end of the corridor, Annabeth crouched down and slid into the gap where the source of the light was coming from. The adjoining space was a pale, gray-ish tint of white, shadowy from the pulsating candles. There was a girl around Annabeth's age crouched on the cold floor. She rose hastily when Annabeth entered, her thin dress, which matched the hue of the walls, billowed around her thin body. Her caramel hair fluttered and the small, yellow flowers braided in the strands waved. The only thought Annabeth could process was that what the girl was wearing was utterly inappropriate and incongruous to the scene.

"Annabeth," the girl smiled warmly.

"Who are you?" Her own voice sounded cracked and

choked compared the melodic lilting of the other girl.

Her only reply was a small, almost condescending, yet pitty-filled smile.

"Tell me who you are and what you've done with Percy!" she hissed, her gray eyes smouldering.

The girl's mouth quirked infuriatingly. "You should know me, daughter of Athena. You and h, held the burden of my father, after all," she gestured to the gray lock in Annabeth's hair.

"Calypso," she breathed, her eyes widening. "What have you done with him?"

Calypso waved her hands over the empty ground before her. A faint, shimmering mist curled out from a center point like rolling fingers of smoke. The mist expanded silently until it suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a mangled pile of limbs. Tattered, orange cloth and blue denim streaked with dirt and crusted blood covered the body and a flop of tousled black hair stuck out at odd angles.

A scream tore out of Annabeth's throat, her voice strangled and hoarse. She sank to her knees. No, not after so long, she thought desperately, frantically. "What have you done?!" Her voice sounded crazed and maniacal.

Calypso twirled one caramel strand of hair innocently. "If I can't have him, no one can," she smirked.

Annabeth shrieked, leaping off her stance on the cold floor, arching gracefully, her dagger gripped tightly, ready to sink into Calypso's smiling face. She lunged forward; her dagger was only a couple of inches away now…

A sharp burst of static popped and Annabeth jerked from her plush, blue seat, gasping heavily. She reached up and wiped the sheet of cold sweat off her face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, demigods and demigoddesses, Greeks and Roman, welcome to Camp Jupiter!" Leo's hyperactive, disembodied voice announced.

She pushed herself from the welcoming arms of her seat and rushed outside, yearning for the rush of cold air on her body. She made it out just in time to pass through the clouds, which reminded her inexplicably of her dream. The cold wisps caressed her face, and the clouds parted to reveal rolling green hills, a looping, rushing river and an extremely large crowd of people. Red plumes of Roman war helmets (inspired by Sparta, no doubt) blew menacingly in the breeze and Annabeth searched through these for a familiar mop of black hair— who couldn't, could not possibly be dead.

From the corner of her eye she could see Jason and Thalia preparing to descend; his fair hair contrasting to her midnight-colored, intimidating locks. A comforting hand patted her shoulder softly.

"Hey, Piper," she murmured, keeping her sharp eyes trained on the people below. Where was he?

A resounding war horn sounded, rolling across the hills and ancient-style Roman architecture. And then she saw him; confident and happy looking as ever. Her breath hitched and her hands shook with the nerves coursing through her body. Would he remember?

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and review :)**


	4. Chapter IV

**A/N: **_Mark of Athena_ comes out today! I'm so excited! And also, I just found out when _Perks of Being a Wallflower_ is released in Australia! Double-y exciterd :) And thanks to everyone who read, reviewed or favourited.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ or _Heroes of Olympus._

* * *

**Chapter IV**

**June 24****th**** – 1545 hours**

**Camp Jupiter**

**Hazel**

Hazel gripped Frank's hand tightly as one by one, the Greek demigods disembarked from the giant warship. His large hand completely engulfed her tiny one, but somehow, it made her feel completely secure. When the Sammy lookalike had sprung off the ship, juggling two plastic blocks with an assortment of buttons on it, his face absolutely bursting with excitement, Hazel's breath hitched, and she was probably cutting off all of Frank's blood circulation on his arm. He looked down on her with concern.

She shook her head at him and attempted a reassuring smile, but her face felt like rubber. She glanced up at Percy who was standing on her other side. He was looking past them into the distance, his face a mask of longing and barely concealed need. She followed his line of sight, past the legions of Romans rigidly on defence guard and the assortment of Greeks in orange t-shirts, to where Reyna was stiffly greeting a couple of Greeks. She was talking to one scary-looking girl with glinting, dark cerulean eyes and ebony colored hair.

The other girl was tall, tan, blonde and athletic-looking, and even from the distance they were apart, Hazel could see her eyes. They were a dark, shadowy gray. _Annabeth,_ she thought, smiling slightly. Percy would not stop going on about her. Annabeth looked tense, like something was bothering her. Her hands were fisted and she kept shifting around nervously, like she couldn't keep still. But then again, it could just be the ADHD.

Hazel shifted from foot to foot. She could feel Percy tensing up beside her. With a pop, a sparking jewel sprouted from the lush soil. She hastily picked it up and enclosed her fist around it; she had no pockets as she was in her bronze Roman battle armor. The sharp facets of the diamond cut into her balled fists, causing her to wince sharply. The diamond was green – clear, sea-green – like Percy's eyes; the rarest type of diamond there was.

She could feel that Percy couldn't keep it in much longer; he was like a pent up volcano ready to burst. And when he did, everything was silent. Even the wind had halted, stilled. It was as if the ids themselves needed to see, hear this moment – to feel it with perfect clarity. Although Hazel suspected it may have just been Venus.

Percy uttered a word – a single word, which echoed, until swept away by the dying wind. Everything was perfectly still.

"Annabeth."

* * *

**June 24****th**** – 1545 hours**

**Camp Jupiter**

**Piper**

Jason would go drown himself in a pit of crap, Piper thought furiously. She couldn't remember what she'd ever seen in him. Sure, he was good looking, but so were many, many other guys. He was a selfish, arrogant, cheating douche. She was ashamed that she'd only realized this now, after witnessing his childish tantrum and his overwhelming arrogance. She felt almost jealous of Annabeth; from her descriptions of Percy, he sounded, well, perfect.

At that particular moment, Annabeth was bouncing up and down – she looked more agitated than Piper had ever seen her. She could tell that the blonde was fighting herself not to run over the 'invisible line' to look for him. As a daughter of Aphrodite, these emotions pertaining to love were pretty hard to miss. She could feel that his emotions at that moment mirrored hers. The tension in the air was escalating, although most others could not feel it.

Then, the breaking point.

"Annabeth," he said.

She turned. "Percy," she breathed. Even the centurions that were meant to be on guard had their faces surreptitiously turned to the two. "Percy!" she yelled, a little louder. A wide, curving smile bloomed across her face as she crossed the 'line' towards him.

Percy rushed forward, almost tripping on the long hem of his toga. "Stupid bedsheets," he muttered.

Annabeth let out what was between a sob and an exasperated laugh. "Seaweed Brain," she smiled. "You remember!" Piper had never, ever seen anyone look so positively radiant before. She could practically hear her mother cooing, up on Olympus.

"Well, duh," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes expertly at him, and she launched herself into his chest.

"Annabeth, are – are you crying?" His voice was woven with concern, but he made the mistake of speaking too loud; Piper could hear him from thirty-feetaway.

Leo shifted beside her. "Annabeth does not cry," he stated flatly. "She's like, unemotional. She hardly ever smiles, and she _never_ laughs at my jokes. I'm funny!" he added defensively.

"You just keep telling yourself that, Repair Boy," Piper replied. "But I don't think Annabeth is 'unemotional.' I think she's just good at keeping things hidden – she pits on a mask. I mean, right now, I can _feel _her emotions, and trust me, they're there. Oh, and the reason that she doesn't laugh at your jokes? It's because they're NOT funny."

"Oh," said Leo, with a crestfallen expression. "Yeah, right, princess," he bounced back. "I AM funny!" He, like Percy, also made the mistake of speaking too loud. Piper arched an eyebrow at him gracefully and tried to stifle her giggles. Half the Romans and most of the Greeks turned to stare at him, with a mixture of laughter, confusion and 'who-the-Hades/Pluto-is-that-boy?' expressions etches on their faces.

"Oops…" he muttered, looking like he'd very much like to melt into the shadows.

Meanwhile, Annabeth pulled away from him and spluttered, her face growing red from the rise of heat. "First thing you say… eight entire months…stupid… seaweed brain… missed you so much." She choked on the last word. Suddenly, she punched him on his chest. _Hard._ "Perseus." Punch. "Jackson." Punch. "Don't. You. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Ever. Again." She punctuated every word with a really, _really_ hard punch. Smack in the centre of his chest.

"Ow!" he grunted, as he doubled over clutching his chest. "That _really_ hurt, Annabeth."

Annabeth wore a confused expression. "What about the Curse of Achilles?" she asked.

Percy leaned down, wincing, and whispered something to her. Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh gods," Piper heard her murmur. What could it possibly be that would make Annabeth so worried? "Gods, I'm sorry," she whispered.

Thalia grimaced, like she knew what was going on. "This is _not_ good," she muttered, as she fingered her silvery bow nervously. "Stupid Romans…"She, unlike Leo, remembered to say that softly.

"What's the Curse of Achilles?" Piper asked. "It sounds familiar…"

Thalia shook her head gravely. "Now's not the time."

It definitely wasn't the time, as Percy bent down and kissed Annabeth softly. Piper's daughter of Aphrodite, built-in, romance-receptors went crazy. This time, she could actually hear Aphrodite 'aww-ing.'

Travis and Connor Stoll wolf-whistled loudly. In her time at Camp, Piper had learned _very_ quickly NOT to trust those two. At all. Period. They were the 'Fred and George' of Camp Half-Blood, and she'd learned from experience, (the hard way) not to tell them a single thing…

* * *

"Piper!" Travis yelled. Piper spun around and almost lost her balance.

"What, Travis?" she yelled back. The winter air was frosty and all she wanted was to get back into the warmth of her cabin. The cold nipped at her cheeks; she was sure that they were a flaming red, by now.

"I'm Connor," he replied, feigning heartbreak. "How could you not tell us apart!?"

"Shut it, Travis," she said impatiently. "You're not even twins. Now what do you want?"

Travis pouted. "Fine…" he muttered. "You like Jason, right?"

Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "What's it to you?"

"I want to help, Piper dear. Honestly, what's it with you and trusting a poor guy who only wants to help?"

Piper should've known better. "Alright," she said reluctantly. "What's your plan?"

"Well…" he whispered to her conspiratorially.

And that's how _this _happened:

"Connor and Travis!" Piper yelled, trying to run in her bulky, winter clothing. "I'm going to kill you!" she screeched. "Oh gods," she moaned, when she discovered that she was too late. "Oh gods no." She was never going to live it down. She watched through her fingers, as the scene unfolded; her heart was thrumming like a hummingbird's.

And then Jason stepped out of his cabin, completely confused, and blushing – although it could've just been the cold. He was holding, to her absolute mortification, her bra and some… underwear… Piper rushed forward. "Oh Styx," she swore. "That's not mine, Jason, I swear. Well, _that_ is." She pointed to the purple bra with white polka dots splattered across it. "But _that_ is NOT!" His face was flushed, definitely from embarrassment as he looked at the lacy, red thong swinging from his fingertips.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Um… here."

"Thanks," she muttered, staring at her feet. Oh, Travis and Connor Stoll were _so _dead…

* * *

She looked up when she heard the snickers. Just then, Annabeth hooked her arms around Percy's neck and evidently unhooked something… His entire purple and cream toga pooled (haha) at his feet, leaving him standing there in his green boxers. Green boxers with little, blue hippocampi patterned on…

"Well, he said, blushing. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "This is awkward…"

* * *

**Thank you for reading :) And, to ****_soccerlover5959,_**** I hope the reunion part lived up to your expectations.**

**Tell me what you think. **

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